And I have not been alone in the bathroom. We have guests this winter who are hauled up in the upstairs bath. They offer live entertainment, climbing along the windows and walls and over the bath fixtures, occasionally flying about.

New Hampshire's official insect, the ladybug beetle, has taken up residence in my 1850s farmhouse.

We began with almost an infestation level of 20 or more beetles on a warm day in fall, though now we are down to a surviving foursome. I have not named them yet for fear they will not make it, but there is a big one, and three little ones.

It has been a long, cold winter and it is our first in this old house. I am fascinated by the little creatures and wonder how they survive, what they eat, if anything, and what I can do to help them along as this winter just wears on and on.

It appears from my research I am doing everything right to keep them around, entertaining me as the warm water fills in the deep tub and they suddenly seem to come to life.

New Hampshire designated the ladybug (also called ladybird or lady beetle) as the official state insect in 1977.

It was championed by the pupils of Broken Ground Elementary School in Concord.

We are not the only ones to choose this reddish-orange and black-dotted beetle as the official state insect. (And no, it is not the mosquito or black fly as some might think.)

Ohio, New York, Massachusetts, Tennessee, and Delaware also designate the ladybug as an official state symbol. Perhaps, it is because they do only good and harm no one.

Ladybugs help gardeners and farmers by eating tiny insect pests that damage plants.

If you have had a rose bush tormented by aphids, the ladybug is your help.

A ladybug can consume up to 60 aphids per day, and will also eat a variety of other harmful insects and larvae.

They like scales, mealy bugs, leaf hoppers, mites, and other types of soft-bodied insects, as well as pollen and nectar.

But in the winter, they don't eat a thing. They hibernate and sometimes, they hibernate in your house. But this winter, I have offered a few plants in the bathroom both to enjoy while I soak and to give them something green to look forward to eating, if not, finding a snack.

John Losey is a Cornell University entomologist who leads the Lost Ladybug Project.

A web post indicates Cornell is recruiting citizen scientists - particularly children - to search for nine-spotted ladybugs and other ladybug species, and send photos of them to Cornell for identification and inclusion in a database.

There are about 5,000 species of ladybugs, also known as ladybird beetles, with about 450 species in the United States.

In New England, the Asian Ladybug is common. They congregate together in the fall to hibernate.

They are attracted to light-colored homes, usually older homes and they are attracted to heat that the homes reflect.

Ladybugs release pheromones. It is sort of like "perfume" to attract other ladybugs.

They use pheromones as a means of communication during mating and hibernation. This helps ladybugs find each other and it lets future generations know of a good place to "camp out" for the winter.

The chemical "scent" can remain year after year, and not only on the outside of a structure, but also within the walls, where ladybugs tend to hide before emerging into your home.

Ladybugs are not poisonous to humans. However, they can have toxic effects on some animals.

Ladybugs have a foul odor, which deters some predators from eating them. Their bright colors also help as a deterrent. In nature, red and orange, are warning colors that indicate to another animal or insect that the potential "lunch item" might not be a good choice.

Ladybugs are attracted to bright colored houses with a southwestern sun exposure.

Older homes tend to experience more problems with aggregations due to lack of adequate insulation.

The ladybugs come in through small cracks around windows, door ways, and under clap boards.

Like any sensible insect, they want to hibernate in a warm, comfortable spot over the cold months of winter.

Ladybugs don't eat fabric, plants, paper or any other household items. They like to eat aphids. Ladybugs, while trying to hibernate in your house, live off of their own body fats. They, also, prefer a little humidity, which makes my bath a perfect spot.

The warm water from the bath fogs up the windows and they seem to like that.

Homes here are rather dry causing most of the ladybug guests to die from dehydration.

But we have forced hot water heat in this house and that seems to agree with them.

They have a tendency to drink water from the puddles left on the sink and that is a good thing for them.

In spring, they will leave on their own.

Leave them alone.

Disturbing them will only cause them to stress out leaving yellow markings on your walls. The yellow stuff is not waste matter, but rather, their blood. Ladybugs release a small amount of their blood, which is yellow and smells, when they sense danger.

Some people have said that it does stain on light colored surfaces.

If you insist on getting rid of them try a vacuum with a clean bag and release the bag outdoors.

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